Licensing authority
South Carolina Board of Nursing
Nursing licensure · NLC status table · EMS licensure
SC
South Carolina
Does this state recognize my multistate license?
Multistate license recognizedSC
Yes — a qualifying multistate license permits RN/LPN practice here
South Carolina has implemented the Nurse Licensure Compact, so an RN or LPN with an active multistate license from their primary state of residence may practice here without a South Carolina license. The facility and contract still set their own credentialing requirements.
Supporting evidence and conditions
South Carolina has implemented the Nurse Licensure Compact, so an RN or LPN with an active multistate license from their primary state of residence may practice here without a South Carolina license. The facility and contract still set their own credentialing requirements.
NCSBN · nursecompact.com · verified 15 Oct 2026
- Law enacted
- Yes enacted
- In force
- Yes since 19 Jan 2018
- Issuing multistate licenses
- Yes issuing multistate licenses
Each answer links to the state rule it comes from. Open “Source quotation” for the exact wording.
Licensing authority
Board contacts, official applications and governing rules.
Authority website
Licensing portal
Conditions & source context
This is the published existing-license management entry route.
Contact
- nurseboard@llr.sc.gov
- Phone
- (803) 896-4550
- Address
- 110 Centerview Dr, Columbia, SC 29210
Source quotation
Board Contact Information nurseboard@llr.sc.gov Telephone: (803) 896-4550 Board Executive: Whitney Smith 110 Centerview Dr Columbia, SC 29210
llr.sc.gov · State Board of Nursing
License requirements
License types, exams, expiration dates and multistate eligibility.
Licence types
RN
- State title
- Registered Nurse
LPN
- State title
- Licensed Practical Nurse
Source quotation
The Board licenses qualified individuals as licensed practical nurses, registered nurses or advanced practice registered nurses.
llr.sc.gov · State Board of Nursing
Multistate licences issued
Yes
Source quotation
If you apply for licensure before establishing South Carolina residency, you will be issued a single-state license. A multistate license will only be granted once you submit the Declaration of Primary State of Residence Form along with acceptable residence.
llr.sc.gov · State Board of Nursing
NCLEX required to get licensed
Yes
Conditions & source context
Initial licensure NCLEX; preserve three-year-from-graduation requalification condition and foreign-educated route. NCLEX fee and Board application fee are separate; this claim does not state amounts.
Source quotation
An applicant for initial licensure must pass the appropriate National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) prescribed by the board.
llr.sc.gov · State Board of Nursing
Working across state lines
Compact membership, license privileges and application requirements.
NLC law enacted
- Status
- Yes
Conditions & source context
NCSBN's NLC implementation table (rev. Aug 2026) lists South Carolina as implemented on Jan. 19, 2018.
NLC law in force
- Status
- Yes
- Effective
- 2018-01-19
Conditions & source context
NCSBN's NLC implementation table (rev. Aug 2026) lists South Carolina as implemented on Jan. 19, 2018.
Issuing multistate licences
- Status
- Yes
Conditions & source context
The current Board guidance describes SC multistate issuance; no connection date is asserted.
Source quotation
If you are currently licensed in a participating compact state and relocate to South Carolina, you must apply for licensure by endorsement within sixty (60) days of declaring South Carolina as your primary state of residence . If you apply for licensure before establishing South Carolina residency, you will be issued a single-state license. A multistate license will only be granted once you submit the Declaration of Primary State of Residence Form along with acceptable residence.
llr.sc.gov · State Board of Nursing
Conditions for privilege
- Hold a qualifying multistate RN/LPN license; follow the practice laws where the patient is located.
Conditions & source context
A single-state license does not create interstate privileges.
Source context Travel privilege and practice-law compliance are described separately from SC license issuance.
Source quotation
Compact State Information South Carolina is a member of the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) . The NLC allows registered nurses (RNs) or licensed practical nurses (LPNs) who hold a license in one compact state to practice in other compact states without obtaining an additional license. Nurses practicing under a compact license must follow the nursing laws and regulations of the state where the patient is located.
Source quotation
If you are currently licensed in a participating compact state and relocate to South Carolina, you must apply for licensure by endorsement within sixty (60) days of declaring South Carolina as your primary state of residence . If you apply for licensure before establishing South Carolina residency, you will be issued a single-state license. A multistate license will only be granted once you submit the Declaration of Primary State of Residence Form along with acceptable residence.
llr.sc.gov · State Board of Nursing
Can I take a contract on privilege alone
Yes — a qualifying multistate license permits RN/LPN practice here
Conditions & source context
South Carolina has implemented the Nurse Licensure Compact, so an RN or LPN with an active multistate license from their primary state of residence may practice here without a South Carolina license. The facility and contract still set their own credentialing requirements.
Where privilege is not enough
- Changing primary residence to SC requires endorsement application within 60 days.
Source quotation
If you are currently licensed in a participating compact state and relocate to South Carolina, you must apply for licensure by endorsement within sixty (60) days of declaring South Carolina as your primary state of residence .
llr.sc.gov · State Board of Nursing
Apply from another state
Eligibility, application fees, background checks and temporary licenses.
Endorsement available
Yes
What it is called
RN/LPN licensure by endorsement
Where to apply
Conditions & source context
Online RN/LPN application entry published by the Board. Endorsement instructions are available in Sources.
What you must provide
Active or previous nursing license in another state
- Detail
- SC residence or non-compact home-state applicant seeking SC practice; former SC license holders use reinstatement.
Continued competency
- Detail
- Meet one Board option within the past two years: 30 CE hours, recognized national certification, related academic program, or employer competency verification.
Conditions & source context
The application also lists identity, lawful-presence, education, verification and background-check documentation; these requirements are not a complete application checklist.
Source context One of the four continued-competency alternatives must be satisfied within the previous two years.
Source quotation
Continued Competency Applicants must provide documentation of continued competency within the past two (2) years by meeting one of the following requirements: Completion of thirty (30) contact hours of continuing education from a provider recognized by the Board (continuing education certificates required). Maintenance or renewal of national certification by a certifying body recognized by the Board. Completion of an academic program of study in nursing or a related field recognized by the Board. Employer verification of competency using the Board-approved Employer Certification Form .
Source quotation
RN OR LPN LICENSURE BY ENDORSEMENT This application is for an RN or LPN who is actively or previously licensed in another state and is moving to South Carolina as a permanent resident or is licensed in a non-compact state and seeks to practice in South Carolina. REQUIREMENTS Below is an overview for licensure by endorsement. For more information, you may visit the South Carolina Board of Nursing (SCBON) website.
llr.sc.gov · State Board of Nursing
Application fee
- Amount
- 100
- Per
- RN/LPN endorsement without temporary license
- Non-refundable
- Yes
- Also payable
Temporary license option
- Amount
- 10
Conditions & source context
The temporary-license endorsement total is $110. Background-check charges, if any, are separate and unverified.
Source context The application identifies application fees as nonrefundable.
Source quotation
Application fees are non-refundable. A returned check fee of up to $30, or an amount specified by law, may be assessed on all returned funds.
Background check
- Required
- Yes
- Fingerprints
- Yes
Conditions & source context
Follow the Board instructions issued after the application is received; do not start fingerprints before those instructions.
Source quotation
The SC Nursing Practice Act requires all nursing applicants to submit a fingerprint based criminal background check. Instructions for the fingerprint process will be sent to you after your application is received by the South Carolina Board of Nursing. Do not have your fingerprints or criminal background check processed until you have submitted an application and received instructions from the Board. If you are applying with an alien registration number, you will not be able to have your fingerprints processed until you obtain a social security number.
llr.sc.gov · State Board of Nursing
Temporary licence
- Available
- Yes
- Duration (days)
- 60
- Fee
- 10
- Type
- Single-state temporary endorsement license
- Eligibility
- Proof of active out-of-state U.S. license; all documentation except background check and license verification must be received. Not available for the specified adverse personal-history answers, or foreign-educated applicants who have not passed NCLEX.
Conditions & source context
Source context Published temporary-license fee is $10; endorsement plus temporary license totals $110.
Source quotation
TEMPORARY LICENSE You may apply for a sixty (60) day temporary license to practice nursing in SC while your application is being processed. You will need to provide proof of an active license to practice in another state or jurisdiction of the United States. All required documentation except for the Criminal Background Check and the license verification must be received in order for a single-state temporary license to be issued. The license is only valid for sixty days and you cannot work once it has expired. Orientation is considered the practice of nursing and you must be licensed to attend. A temporary license is not available for applicants who answer yes to the personal history questions related to previous discipline, surrender/relinquishment of a professional license in lieu of discipline, safety to practice, and/or arrest/convictions. Or if you are an applicant educated outside of the United States and have not passed the NCLEX exam.
llr.sc.gov · State Board of Nursing
Nursys verification
- Verification for endorsement
- Yes
- Conditions
- Use Nursys when the originating jurisdiction participates; direct board verification is accepted otherwise.
Source quotation
Verification is required from your original state of licensure by examination. Visit Nursys to request electronic verification be sent directly to the Board of Nursing. If your licensing state does not participate in Nursys, you must contact that state's board of nursing and request that verification be sent directly to SCBON. A license verification form is available as a courtesy, though use of this form is not required. Electronic verifications may be emailed directly from the issuing state board to: nurseboard@llr.sc.gov
llr.sc.gov · State Board of Nursing
Renewal and education
Renewal dates, required education and reinstatement options.
Renewal interval (years)
2
Source quotation
Please note that all nursing licenses expire on April 30 of every even-numbered year.
llr.sc.gov · State Board of Nursing
Renewal competency and CE
- Hours
- 30
- Period years
- 2
- Scope
- One of four continued-competency options; CE is not mandatory if another Board option is met.
Source quotation
Continued Competency Applicants must provide documentation of continued competency within the past two (2) years by meeting one of the following requirements: Completion of thirty (30) contact hours of continuing education from a provider recognized by the Board (continuing education certificates required). Maintenance or renewal of national certification by a certifying body recognized by the Board. Completion of an academic program of study in nursing or a related field recognized by the Board. Employer verification of competency using the Board-approved Employer Certification Form .
llr.sc.gov · State Board of Nursing
State-specific requirements
- Continued competency
- Meet one continued-competency option within the previous two years: 30 CE hours, recognized national certification, nursing/related academic study, or employer competency verification.
- Renewal fee (USD)
- 75
- Expiration
- April 30 in even-numbered years
Conditions & source context
Source context RN/LPN renewal fee.
Source quotation
Continued Competency Applicants must provide documentation of continued competency within the past two (2) years by meeting one of the following requirements: Completion of thirty (30) contact hours of continuing education from a provider recognized by the Board (continuing education certificates required). Maintenance or renewal of national certification by a certifying body recognized by the Board. Completion of an academic program of study in nursing or a related field recognized by the Board. Employer verification of competency using the Board-approved Employer Certification Form .
llr.sc.gov · State Board of Nursing
License verification
Official license-verification links and the information available from each source.
Licence lookup
Ask the board of nursing
South Carolina's published rules don't answer these. Ask before you apply — llr.sc.gov.
- Governing law. Which nurse practice act or rule governs licensure in South Carolina?
- Licence term. How long does a South Carolina nursing licence last before renewal?
- Jurisprudence exam. Does South Carolina require a jurisprudence or ethics exam?
- How long it takes. How long will South Carolina take to process my application?
- Approved CE providers. Where do I find CE that South Carolina will accept?
- If your licence lapses. My South Carolina licence expired — what is the reinstatement process?